GCRad1
Adventurer
Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack - Choice & Installation / 80-Series Land Cruiser
My ADV80 has been in transitional development since the day I bought it in stock form in 2008.
Choosing a roof rack can be both simple and difficult depending on how much thought you put into it. For some it is a simple matter of need at the cheapest price. For some, it can be an item of overland bling that will only carry the dust that lays on its cross rails from the home to office. And everything in between is a wide open plethora of options, ideas and brands.
I was the guy who just needed a roof rack to do my desired task of carrying load on the roof be it for work or weekend outings. I was also on a more reserved budget at the time, yes I was looking for CHEAP but sturdy! I purchased my first roof rack in 2010 and while it is an all steel construction model it has served me well. But over time I would discover it came with limitations and sacrifice. My biggest recent discovery of limitations is the fact that adding a roof top tent (RTT) was going to require making homemade "skyscraper" mounts to clear side rails of the roof rack. Note, if you purchase a fold-out RTT, it has to sit above the side rails in order to fold out over the side of your roof rack. Something that I did not consider on the previous roof rack at that time as I was not in the market for a RTT. The other limitation of my original roof rack was that if I did make use of home-made skyscraper mounts for the RTT there would be very minimal space left on the rack for other items associated with a camping trip, such as boxes, fuel/water cans, etc. Also, the steel made roof rack could use a diet as I would be adding the weight of the RTT, thus I was looking for something lighter and strong. Even if I was not adding an RTT, my original roof rack just did not give me the full length coverage I wished for. So the research began! You know the story, we have way more time than money, thus many nights are spent on-line researching while your wifey is watching her favorite TV programs.
Research for myself usually starts with looking at all the advertisers supporting this forum and spelunking the different build threads to see what others are doing. Lots of "window shopping!" Then I will usually open several tabs of different companies and start with their history or “About” so I can see who they are and what they are all about. I want to know first and foremost if they are enthusiast or if they are simply in it to make a buck. Also if I am able to make it out to events, this is a great way the meet the people behind the label and see the product first hand as this is usually the next item after you do all your research, you want to see the product in person. I had that opportunity during the my visit to the Overland Expo in 2012.
You can see lots of rigs and all the happenings on my Flickr Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodneywills/sets/72157629883908392/with/7264785328/
Lets openly admit, there is just something cool about roof racks. When you see a rig adorned with a full roof rack, it has safari-ready adventure cache even if the driver has no idea what he is driving down Rodeo Drive. Roof racks have a mystique to them and upon spotting that full equipped rig slips you into an adventure daydream. The Overland Expo was an open air showcase of all things roof racks! I was able to see it all from the used and abused to the latest offerings.
Personally, the INTI roof racks most resemble what we have all seen on the Camel Trophy Land Rovers and with that I guess it is easy to say these vehicles and their roof racks have been the pinnacle of dreams to either own or use as reference to build around no matter the actual vehicle we drive. While I do not know the whole history on the INTI racks and doubt they were used on actual Camel Trophy rigs due to their country of origin. While I did see a few INTI’s on some exotic rigs, the real issue is finding readily available INTI racks here in the USA. Just try and find one available for purchase, these racks are imported from Venezuela yet not on a regular established basis. Rare, scarce and expensive was enough to scare me off.
Also at Overland EXPO I saw a few Front Runner racks and they also had a booth at the show where I was able to speak with them.
Front Runner display at Overland EXPO 2012
First impressions are always important and I remember Front Runner staff being very willing to talk with me and show me their product line even though I was not ready to buy anything at the moment. Most importantly, while they are from South Africa, they have an office in Burbank, California. That is crucial when you start thinking about shipping, service and getting more accessory items down the road. As time past and I got closer to actually making a purchase decision I started poking around on their site and found they are actual enthusiast and all the specifications for the rack stacked up in their favor. Thus it was easy for me to make my decision to go with Front Runner as their Slimline II roof rack met the specifications I was looking for with more roof rack load area that covered the entire roof of my rig. I want it to be RTT capable with less weight than my current steel frame roof rack. As I drive an 80-Series, Front Runner makes a rack kit to my rigs specifications and needs!
So lets begin the build process as I will be putting this rack into service use right away with a trip to Moab, Utah from Southern California.
Just from the point of delivery, the Front Runner packaging is clean and elegant looking from the outside. Could this elude to the interior contents?
I get the Front Runner box into my garage to start the contents inspection process. My 5.11 Tactical Alpha Scout Folder does the job of carefully cutting the heavy duty paper-banding strips.
From the moment you open the Front Runner box you immediately notice how organized and well protected the contents are. This is a true sign the company cares about its products!
All 80-Series fans will have to sit down for a moment and admire this computer generated document and all the cool accessories Front Runner offers.
There is a considerable amount of documents and instructions. Some of you may forego the instructions, but keep them handy, you will be coming back for these for the finer details. The instructions too are another sign that Front Runner has gone to extensive lengths to make sure everything is covered.
I like to get everything out of the individual boxes and start laying things out to see what I will be working with. You can see the individual bags as EVERYTHING is ORGANIZED!
My dog looks on as to say, are we done yet?
My ADV80 has been in transitional development since the day I bought it in stock form in 2008.
Choosing a roof rack can be both simple and difficult depending on how much thought you put into it. For some it is a simple matter of need at the cheapest price. For some, it can be an item of overland bling that will only carry the dust that lays on its cross rails from the home to office. And everything in between is a wide open plethora of options, ideas and brands.
I was the guy who just needed a roof rack to do my desired task of carrying load on the roof be it for work or weekend outings. I was also on a more reserved budget at the time, yes I was looking for CHEAP but sturdy! I purchased my first roof rack in 2010 and while it is an all steel construction model it has served me well. But over time I would discover it came with limitations and sacrifice. My biggest recent discovery of limitations is the fact that adding a roof top tent (RTT) was going to require making homemade "skyscraper" mounts to clear side rails of the roof rack. Note, if you purchase a fold-out RTT, it has to sit above the side rails in order to fold out over the side of your roof rack. Something that I did not consider on the previous roof rack at that time as I was not in the market for a RTT. The other limitation of my original roof rack was that if I did make use of home-made skyscraper mounts for the RTT there would be very minimal space left on the rack for other items associated with a camping trip, such as boxes, fuel/water cans, etc. Also, the steel made roof rack could use a diet as I would be adding the weight of the RTT, thus I was looking for something lighter and strong. Even if I was not adding an RTT, my original roof rack just did not give me the full length coverage I wished for. So the research began! You know the story, we have way more time than money, thus many nights are spent on-line researching while your wifey is watching her favorite TV programs.
Research for myself usually starts with looking at all the advertisers supporting this forum and spelunking the different build threads to see what others are doing. Lots of "window shopping!" Then I will usually open several tabs of different companies and start with their history or “About” so I can see who they are and what they are all about. I want to know first and foremost if they are enthusiast or if they are simply in it to make a buck. Also if I am able to make it out to events, this is a great way the meet the people behind the label and see the product first hand as this is usually the next item after you do all your research, you want to see the product in person. I had that opportunity during the my visit to the Overland Expo in 2012.
You can see lots of rigs and all the happenings on my Flickr Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodneywills/sets/72157629883908392/with/7264785328/
Lets openly admit, there is just something cool about roof racks. When you see a rig adorned with a full roof rack, it has safari-ready adventure cache even if the driver has no idea what he is driving down Rodeo Drive. Roof racks have a mystique to them and upon spotting that full equipped rig slips you into an adventure daydream. The Overland Expo was an open air showcase of all things roof racks! I was able to see it all from the used and abused to the latest offerings.
Personally, the INTI roof racks most resemble what we have all seen on the Camel Trophy Land Rovers and with that I guess it is easy to say these vehicles and their roof racks have been the pinnacle of dreams to either own or use as reference to build around no matter the actual vehicle we drive. While I do not know the whole history on the INTI racks and doubt they were used on actual Camel Trophy rigs due to their country of origin. While I did see a few INTI’s on some exotic rigs, the real issue is finding readily available INTI racks here in the USA. Just try and find one available for purchase, these racks are imported from Venezuela yet not on a regular established basis. Rare, scarce and expensive was enough to scare me off.
Also at Overland EXPO I saw a few Front Runner racks and they also had a booth at the show where I was able to speak with them.
Front Runner display at Overland EXPO 2012
First impressions are always important and I remember Front Runner staff being very willing to talk with me and show me their product line even though I was not ready to buy anything at the moment. Most importantly, while they are from South Africa, they have an office in Burbank, California. That is crucial when you start thinking about shipping, service and getting more accessory items down the road. As time past and I got closer to actually making a purchase decision I started poking around on their site and found they are actual enthusiast and all the specifications for the rack stacked up in their favor. Thus it was easy for me to make my decision to go with Front Runner as their Slimline II roof rack met the specifications I was looking for with more roof rack load area that covered the entire roof of my rig. I want it to be RTT capable with less weight than my current steel frame roof rack. As I drive an 80-Series, Front Runner makes a rack kit to my rigs specifications and needs!
So lets begin the build process as I will be putting this rack into service use right away with a trip to Moab, Utah from Southern California.
Just from the point of delivery, the Front Runner packaging is clean and elegant looking from the outside. Could this elude to the interior contents?
I get the Front Runner box into my garage to start the contents inspection process. My 5.11 Tactical Alpha Scout Folder does the job of carefully cutting the heavy duty paper-banding strips.
From the moment you open the Front Runner box you immediately notice how organized and well protected the contents are. This is a true sign the company cares about its products!
All 80-Series fans will have to sit down for a moment and admire this computer generated document and all the cool accessories Front Runner offers.
There is a considerable amount of documents and instructions. Some of you may forego the instructions, but keep them handy, you will be coming back for these for the finer details. The instructions too are another sign that Front Runner has gone to extensive lengths to make sure everything is covered.
I like to get everything out of the individual boxes and start laying things out to see what I will be working with. You can see the individual bags as EVERYTHING is ORGANIZED!
My dog looks on as to say, are we done yet?
